Alphonse John Smith

Alphonse John Smith, (November 14, 1883 – December 16, 1935) was a 20th-century bishop in the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Nashville from 1923–1935.

Most Reverend
Alphonse J. Smith, STD
Bishop of Nashville
ChurchCatholic Church
SeeNashville
In officeDecember 23, 1923 – December 16, 1935
PredecessorThomas Sebastian Byrne
SuccessorWilliam Lawrence Adrian
Orders
OrdinationApril 18, 1908
ConsecrationMarch 25, 1924
Personal details
Born(1883-11-14)November 14, 1883
Madison, Indiana
DiedDecember 16, 1935(1935-12-16) (aged 52)
Nashville, Tennessee

Biography

Born in Madison, Indiana, Smith was ordained a Catholic priest on April 18, 1908, for the Diocese of Indianapolis. On December 23, 1923 Pope Pius XI named him to be the sixth Bishop of Nashville. He was consecrated a bishop on March 25, 1924, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Indianapolis by Bishop Joseph Chartrand. The co-consecrators were Bishops Emmanuel Boleslaus Ledvina of Corpus Christi and Samuel Stritch, of Toledo.[1]

In 1925, he founded Father Ryan High School.[2]

When Bishop Smith came to the diocese he found there were only a few native priests from the diocese itself and ten seminarians. He worked to change the situation and within two years the number of seminarians from Tennessee had grown to 60, and 26 priests were ordained for the diocese during his episcopate. The monastery of the Poor Clares was established in Memphis. Several new parishes and schools were also established.[3] Bishop Smith served the diocese for eleven years until his death in 1935. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Nashville.[4]

References
  1. "Bishop Alphonse John Smith". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  2. https://www.fatherryan.org/page/about-us/history
  3. "Former Bishops of the Diocese of Nashville". www.dioceseofnashville.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  4. "Alphonse John Smith". Find-A-Grave. Retrieved 2010-05-12.

Episcopal succession
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Thomas Sebastian Byrne		 Bishop of Nashville
1923–1935		 Succeeded by
William Lawrence Adrian


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